Inherited

When you're told to trust nobody, who do you turn to?

Gabriel has always known he was different.

Surviving a rail disaster at twelve, he has no memory of how he came to be on the train, who he was before then or where he came from. Passed from one foster family to the next throughout his teens, he eventually outgrew the childcare system, living rough on the streets of London until Dr Albert Callico stumbled upon him and took him under his wing.

Now twenty-seven, Gabriel grieves the death of Albert, who died in a minibus accident on his way to a medical conference. Gabriel should have been travelling with him, but Albert's last-minute change of plans forced him to stay behind. Gabriel can't shake the intuition that somehow Albert's decision saved his life.

Following a meeting with the Callico family solicitor, Gabriel learns that he has inherited the bare bones of a property in Tuscany. He also discovers a secret cypher left to him by Albert on the day he died, telling him to trust nobody. The decoded message leads Gabriel to the Italian site managed by a small team of local house staff, who turn out to be more than they appear.

With their help, he unravels the mystery Albert left him, suggesting that Gabriel's childhood was far from ordinary and warning him that knowledge of his existence could threaten some very powerful people.